In this episode of his podcast, Dr. Michael J. Breus dives deep into chronotypes — the individual biological patterns that determine when we naturally wake, sleep, and perform at our best. He breaks down your ideal sleep schedule depending on whether you’re a bear, lion, wolf, or dolphin. Plus, the optimal timing for naps, exercise, and work tasks.
Expert Sleep Advice, One Episode at a Time
You deserve great sleep. The Sleep Doctor, Michael J. Breus, PhD, is here to help. Season 1 is out now.
In a new podcast from Lemonada Media and Sleep Doctor, Dr. Breus and his expert guests break down key sleep concepts and offer practical advice for the common struggles that keep you up at night. Better in Bed with The Sleep Doctor will leave you with the tools you need to improve your sleep and wake up rested and ready.
Episode 4
Know Your Chronotype, Own Your Day
Episode 3
Safe Ways to Use Psychedelics for Sleep with Mollie Eastman
In this episode, Dr. Breus and sleep expert and Sleep Is A Skill founder, Mollie Eastman, discuss unconventional and alternative treatments for sleep anxiety and insomnia. These include psychedelics, cannabis, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Insomnia (ACT-I) for those who struggle with traditional therapies.
In this episode
Mollie shares her personal battle with severe sleep anxiety, a journey that initially resulted in heavy pharmaceutical use before she sought alternative healing methods. The conversation explores how addressing underlying psychological trauma and nervous system dysregulation can fix the root causes of insomnia rather than just treating the symptoms. The two dive into the potential of psilocybin when used in a safe, professionally guided environment, the specific ratios of THC, CBD, and CBN to use for sleep without disrupting REM cycles, and how releasing the intense desire to control your sleep might be the key to finally getting some rest.
Three big ideas
- Psychedelics may address root causes of insomnia. While not for everyone, guided psychedelic journeys can help resolve underlying psychological trauma and nervous system hypervigilance. Mollie noted this led to measurable improvements in her Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and overall sleep quality.
- Cannabis requires careful formulation for sleep: Modern cannabis is highly potent, and taking in too much THC can actually increase heart rate and disrupt REM sleep. A small, controlled dose of THC combined with CBN and CBD is generally more effective for reducing anxiety without causing a disruptive high.
- ACT-I is a great alternative to CBT-I for overthinkers: For people whose perfectionism and anxiety are worsened by the strict rules of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), ACT-I offers a better path by teaching patients to accept wakefulness rather than obsessively trying to control it.
Three practical things you can do
- Optimize your cannabis dosage: If exploring cannabis for sleep, avoid high-THC products or smoking arbitrary strains from a dispensary. Dr. Breus suggests a specific, low-dose blend, such as a gummy with roughly 3 mg of THC, 5 mg of CBN, and some CBD to calm anxiety without disrupting sleep architecture.
- Shift your mindset regarding wakefulness: If you wake up in the middle of the night, practice acceptance instead of spiraling into performance anxiety or obsessing over how many minutes have passed. Remember that trying to force sleep often makes it harder to get.
- Ensure strict safety and screening for alternative treatments: Do not self-medicate with psychedelics. If you are considering them for trauma or sleep, utilize vetted, legal organizations that provide medical screening, psychological preparation courses, and post-journey integration support.
Episode 2
Eat This Before Bed For Great Sleep with Mona Sharma
What if getting better sleep was as simple as the last meal you ate before bed? In a lot of ways, it is! Dr. Michael J. Breus speaks with celebrity nutritionist Mona Sharma about when to eat dinner based on your bedtime, the best meals to set you up for sleep success, and what to do when that inevitable sweet tooth emerges.
In this episode
The big idea: Nourishment, not just nutrition
Mona's approach, shaped by years living at an ashram, treats wellness as four connected pillars: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Instead of handing clients a rigid meal plan, she asks a simple guiding question every day: does this nourish me, or deplete me? That applies to food, but also to conversations, screen time, and sleep itself — she notes people already intuitively know when they've had a "nourishing" night's sleep versus a "depleting" one.
Food timing is everything
Your organs run on a circadian clock just like your brain does, so consistency in meal timing matters as much as what's on the plate. The recommendation: Finish eating at least three hours before bed, so digestion (which takes real energy) wraps up before your body needs to shift into rest-and-restore mode. Mona also suggests front-loading your biggest, most protein-heavy meal earlier in the day, with dinner lighter and more plant-focused.
Building a sleep-friendly plate
Mona's formula for dinner: roughly half the plate as fiber-rich plant carbs (leaning toward 30–40g of fiber a day, well above the average American's intake), a palm-sized portion of protein (animal or plant, based on what makes your body feel good), and healthy fats like olive oil, avocado, or ghee. Eating protein and vegetables before starchy carbs can help blunt a blood sugar spike.
Evening rituals matter as much as food
Beyond meals, Mona emphasizes "bookending" the day with grounding rituals — morning sunlight and hydration, and an evening wind-down that might include a shower, self-massage with oil (a practice called Abhyanga), dim lighting, and breathwork. She's a fan of extending the exhale longer than the inhale to shift into the parasympathetic ("rest and digest") state, and often guides clients through a slow 4-4-6-4 or 4-4-8-4 breathing pattern before bed.
Five practical steps you can try tonight
1. Eat dinner earlier. Aim for at least a 3-hour gap between your last bite and bedtime — even pushing dinner back by 30–60 minutes can help.
2. Rebuild your plate. Half fiber-rich vegetables, a palm-sized portion of protein, and a drizzle of healthy fat (like olive oil) — with veggies and protein eaten before any starch.
3. Take a 15–20 minute walk after dinner. It helps stabilize blood sugar and gets you outside as light dims, cueing melatonin production.
4. If you want something sweet, keep it simple. Try a date with almond butter, or a spoon of honey drizzled with cold-pressed olive oil — and keep all food out of the bedroom.
5. Create a wind-down ritual. A warm shower, dim lights, and a few minutes of slow breathing (inhale 4, hold 4, exhale 6–8, hold 4) signal your nervous system that it's time to sleep.
Episode 1
Why Menopause Destroys Your Sleep — And How to Fix It with Dr. Vonda Wright
Did you know that menopause technically only lasts one day? Tell that to your sleep! Dr. Breus and double-board certified orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Vonda Wright explain why you experience irregular, unpredictable sleep during perimenopause and menopause. They dig into brain chemistry, hormone replacement therapy, hot flashes, restless leg syndrome, and supplements.
In this episode
Why perimenopause feels chaotic
Dr. Wright explains that the root cause of perimenopause is when our ovaries "age out" long before the rest of the body, sometimes starting as early as 35. As the ovaries run low on eggs, estrogen production becomes wildly unpredictable. Because our bodies crave stability, this hormonal seesaw shows up as disrupted sleep, anxiety, brain fog, and a shorter fuse, often before hot flashes even appear. She coined the term "menolescence" to capture how much this hormonal upheaval mirrors adolescence — a comparison that hits especially hard for women going through it while also parenting an actual teenager.
Practical fixes for common complaints
- Restless legs / can't-stay-asleep issues: Check ferritin levels (not just standard iron), consider adjusting HRT dosage since absorption varies, and try magnesium (glycinate or L-threonate forms).
- Night sweats: Address root-cause estrogen levels first; medications like Veozah can help when needed. Cooling (or in Dr. Wright's case, brief warming) mattress technology can also make a real difference — a short warm-up before bed actually supports the temperature drop that triggers melatonin.
- Nighttime bathroom trips (nocturia): Sip rather than gulp liquids before bed, and — this one surprised even Dr. Breus — try to stay as "unconscious" as possible during a bathroom trip: no lights, minimal movement, so you don't spike your heart rate or shut down melatonin production.
- Sleep apnea risk: Apnea risk rises significantly after menopause due to weight gain and age-related collagen loss in throat tissue (the same collapse that causes facial wrinkles happens internally too). Dr. Breus notes CPAP isn't the only option — oral appliances can be an effective alternative.
Five practical steps you can try tonight
- Sip, don't chug, any liquids before bed — including water taken with supplements — to reduce nighttime bathroom trips.
- If you wake to use the bathroom, keep it dark and groggy. Avoid turning on lights or fully waking up, to protect your melatonin and keep your heart rate low.
- Try warming up before bed, not just cooling down. A brief warming period (like a heated blanket for 15 minutes) can actually help trigger the temperature drop that signals sleep.
- Take magnesium glycinate before bed if you're not already, to support relaxation and sleep onset.
- Make sleep the priority, not the afterthought. As Dr. Wright puts it, commit to sleep as more important than the dishes, the dog, or tomorrow's to-do list.
Learn more about Dr. Vonda Wright at drvondawright.com and on Youtube and Instagram.
Biography
About Dr. Michael Breus, PhD
Michael J. Breus, Ph.D., is both a double boarded Clinical Psychologist and a Clinical Sleep Specialist. He has the distinction of also being a Diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine and a Fellow of The American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
Dr. Breus is the author of five non-fiction books, with his newest (2025), Sleep, Drink, Breathe: Wellness is Too Complicated, giving an easy-to-follow 3-week program to teach people how simple biobehaviors are the foundation for wellness.
Dr. Breus has been both consultant and lecturer for brands and organizations like Hastens, Purple Mattress, OURA Ring, Princess Cruise Lines, Advil PM, Breathe Rite, Crowne Plaza Hotels, Merck (Belsomra), BOSE, iHome, Young Presidents Organization, AT&T, Tony Robbins (Unleash the Power), hospitals and medical centers, financial organizations, and many more. Dr. Breus has been in private practice as a sleep doctor for nearly 25 years and currently lives in Hermosa Beach, California.
Featured in
Sleep products backed by Dr. Breus
These expert-curated products are designed to support how you sleep.
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Sleep Doctor Home Sleep Study: Clinical-level, affordable sleep analysis from the comfort of your own bed
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Orion Sleep System: Active temperature regulation technology for your mattress to maintain an optimal sleep environment
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The Power of When: A book by Dr. Breus about chronotypes and learning to interpret them for different daily activities.
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NextSense Smart Ear Buds: These ear buds use EEG sensors to detect deep sleep and deliver gentle sound pulses to enhance restorative sleep.
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Sleep Doctor Sleep Coaching: A structured coaching program designed to identify what's disrupting your nights, and show you how to fix it
